Man Arrested For Asking Cops a Question

Sheriff's Deputy: "Are you a badass, is that what you're saying?"

by Paul Joseph Watson |
July 11, 2014

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A video out of Monroe County, New York shows police arresting a man who questioned why officers were all taking their break at the same time.

Ryan Conklin entered Henrietta Hots diner just before 2am on July 4th before three Monroe County sheriff’s deputies arrived. Conklin asked the deputies why they were all taking their break at the same time when drunk drivers could be leaving local bars.

“I simply asked three Monroe County Sheriffs, why they all were all at Henrietta Hots when it is a busy holiday weekend, and I suggested they be split up and police the area, taking staggered breaks,” said Conklin.

Footage of the incident shows Conklin having a heated conversation with Officer Philip Baretela. Conklin has his hands behind his back, but Baretela escalates the situation when he asks, “Are you a badass, is that what you’re saying?,” before getting in Conklin’s face.

Baretela then demands that Conklin turn around before grabbing him. The three sheriff’s deputies then arrest Conklin but refuse to tell him the reason.

“Why are you arresting me, can you tell me?” Conklin repeatedly asks one of the deputies, but doesn’t get an answer.

Conklin is bundled into the back of a police car while his friend who is filming the incident is told to stay back. One of the cops tries to narrate over the video, claiming that Conklin is “resisting arrest” and “refusing to comply.”

“I was placed in a holding cell for two hours for simply asking our public servants a question,” said Ryan, during which he says the deputies “frantically looked up New York State Penal Law.” Conklin was eventually charged with disorderly conduct.

The day after the incident, police returned to the diner and “began an interrogation-style line of questioning of employees.”

“It really weirded me out, he asked me a bunch of questions, including where I lived,” said one Henrietta Hots employee who wished to remain anonymous.

“I have never been convicted of a crime in my life,” Conklin tells Infowars, adding that police previously seized his eight legally owned handguns due to a temporary order of protection.

Conklin now sees his role as one of “policing the police,” arguing that recording interactions with law enforcement officers is a good idea for both sides. “I’m not anti-police I’m anti-police brutality,” asserts Conklin.